Sweetaly's Michele Santoro Talks New Products and Packaging Design
Dreams of panna cotta and Rome’s alleyways don’t seem so far away when the creators of Sweetaly Dolceria bring the fresh tastes of Italian sweets to retailers throughout the nation, harkening back to their youth in lo Stivale. My sweet tooth and I needed to know more about the company, its origin story, and where it plans to go next, so I reached o...
Discover Dopolavoro, a Little Market Big on Quality
You could be forgiven for strolling past Dopolavoro, tucked along a mellow stretch of Spring Street where the Historic Core transitions into the Fashion District, without realizing what it is. Just a few hundred square feet, the shop quietly debuted in December, minus the attention that larger grocers have received when arriving in Downtown Los Ang...
How a Major Italian Art Movement Influenced Rossoblu’s Marvelous Design
Rossoblu was a near-unanimous choice from the editorial team for Most Gorgeous Restaurant of the Year for Eater LA’s 2017 Awards. It’s clear why: the restaurant is well-known for its distinctive use of unique industrial space in Downtown LA, informed by chef Steve Samson’s upbringing in Bologna and seamlessly constructed as a first-rate dining room...
Yes, the New Casa Barilla at South Coast Plaza Is Run By the Same Company That Makes Jarred Sauce
Just as most people, I always have a jar of marinara and a box of spaghetti in my pantry. The brand I happen to have in stock at the moment is Barilla. It’s not always the case, but my point is that I’m never more than 15 minutes away from a pasta dinner. So when I heard that Casa Barilla—the restaurant arm of the Parma, Italy-based food brand that...
Taste of Wine: Italy made simple (and delicious) at Il Fornaio
Il Fornaio, in Del Mar and Coronado is Italian fine dining, its 23 locations mostly in California. The brand started out as a bakery in the Lombardia district of Italy and the logo proclaims it as an authentic Italian Restaurant and Bakery. It’s still evident in their freshly baked bread with every meal and the enchanting desserts offered. The fre...
The Best Italian Restaurants in All of LA
We can probably all agree that a hearty plate of spaghetti and meatballs, a quick slice of pizza, or a plate of chicken Parmigiana at a neighborhood spot can be great -- but sometimes, simple won’t do. Thankfully, among its many fantastic restaurants, Los Angeles has amassed a wealth of regional and high-end Italian spots that actually make pastas...
California: the passion for Italian food
All retailers here in California and in the West Coast have a great passion for Italian food. The small and independent ones in particular play a key role, educating customers and communicating with them. Italian food is probably the premium category in every store. That is what Richard Armanino, General manager of ItalFoods, says in the following...
Chef Massimo Bottura on the Gucci Connection, His New Book and Staying Fresh
“It’s like ‘Game of Thrones, no?” jokes Massimo Bottura of his wolf motif T-shirt. The animalia was courtesy of Gucci, which is run by his old grade school chum Marco Bizzarri. The two, along with Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele, have collaborated on a range of projects, the latest of which is the Osteria at Gucci Garden in Florence, ope...
Angelo’s Italian Deli in Long Beach is a throwback to old-school New York delis
Not to get all tangled up in nostalgia, but I grew up in a world of Italian delis, truly great Italian delis that would transport you to Naples with the first whiff. The sprawling covered Italian market on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx was my culinary playground, interspersed with journey’s to New York’s iconic Little Italy, which was back then at lea...
2018 food trends put Italian taste in the spotlight
The Extraordinary Italian Taste made its way to San Francisco kicking off a year that sees - once again - Italy as one of the leading countries in the food industry. The winter edition of the Fancy Food Show came back to the West Coast and became an opportunity for companies from almost all regions of Italy to both launch their new products and sho...
‘The highest tier of what we offer’: Italian seafood restaurant opens on Folsom Blvd.
While procrastinating partners were scrambling Tuesday for last-minute Valentine’s Day gifts, Deneb Williams and Elizabeth-Rose Mandalou were busy opening Allora, their newest restaurant, in East Sacramento. Both husband and wife love seafood, and Williams grew up surrounded by ocean life in the Puget Sound. But the Italian restaurant’s inspiration...
La Mesa’s Farmer’s Table Heading to Little Italy
Farmer’s Table, a thriving East County restaurant, will open a second location in Little Italy later this summer. Its owners, cousins Alberto Morreale and Vincenzo Loverso, are both veteran local restauranteurs — Morreale operates the Fig Tree Café locations around town as well as Farmer’s Bottega in Mission Hills and Loverso owns several Gaslamp r...